“‘They’re arnychists, like Parsons,’
he says. ’He wud’ve been an immygrant
if Texas hadn’t been admitted to th’ Union,’
I says. ‘Or Snolgosh,’ he says.
‘Has Mitchigan seceded?’ I says.
’Or Gittoo,’ he says. ‘Who
come fr’m th’ effete monarchies iv Chicago,
west iv Ashland Av’noo,’ I says.
’Or what’s-his-name, Wilkes Booth,’
he says. ‘I don’t know what he was—­maybe
a Boolgharyen,’ says I. ‘Well, annyhow,’
says he, ‘they’re th’ scum iv th’
earth.’ ‘They may be that,’
says I; ‘but we used to think they was th’
cream iv civilization,’ I says. ‘They’re
off th’ top annyhow. I wanst believed
‘twas th’ best men iv Europe come here,
th’ la-ads that was too sthrong and indepindant
to be kicked around be a boorgomasther at home an’
wanted to dig out f’r a place where they cud
get a chanst to make their way to th’ money.
I see their sons fightin’ into politics an’
their daughters tachin’ young American idee
how to shoot too high in th’ public school, an’
I thought they was all right. But I see I was
wrong. Thim boys out there towin’ wan
heavy foot afther th’ other to th’ rowlin’
mills is all arnychists. There’s warrants
out f’r all names endin’ in ’inski,
an’ I think I’ll board up me windows, f’r,’
I says, ’if immygrants is as dangerous to this
counthry as ye an’ I an’ other pilgrim
fathers believe they are, they’se enough iv thim
sneaked in already to make us aborigines about as
infloointial as the prohibition vote in th’
Twinty-ninth Ward. They’ll dash again’
our stern an’ rock-bound coast till they bust
it,’ says I.

“’But I ain’t so much afraid as
ye ar-re. I’m not afraid iv me father
an’ I’m not afraid iv mesilf. An’
I’m not afraid iv Schwartzmeister’s father
or Hinnery Cabin Lodge’s grandfather. We
all come over th’ same way, an’ if me ancestors
were not what Hogan calls rigicides, ‘twas not
because they were not ready an’ willin’,
on’y a king niver come their way. I don’t
believe in killin’ kings, mesilf. I niver
wud’ve sawed th’ block off that curly-headed
potintate that I see in th’ pitchers down town,
but, be hivins, Presarved Codfish Shaughnessy, if
we’d begun a few years ago shuttin’ out
folks that wudden’t mind handin’ a bomb
to a king, they wudden’t be enough people in
Mattsachoosetts to make a quorum f’r th’
Anti-Impeeryal S’ciety,’ says I.
’But what wud ye do with th’ offscourin’
iv Europe?’ says he. ‘I’d scour
thim some more,’ says I.